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Mr Young is Northern Ireland’s ‘Most Innovative Teacher’!

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Microsoft Innovative Teaching Award winner Mr David Young (back row, centre) pictured with Mr Dougie Bartlett, vice principal (back left) and Mr Allister McFarland, Head of Department, are pictured with Limavady High School Technology students William All

THERE were celebrations at Limavady High School this week, when one of its teachers won a top prize in a Northern Ireland-wide competition. Mr David Young, Technology Teacher, has won the Microsoft NI Innovative Teacher's Competition and is now off to the European Finals in Lisbon, Portugal in March.
There he will compete against teachers from 42 countries at the Microsoft European Education Forum 2012.
Mr Young said he was delighted to have received the award and called it a "personal career highlight".
He added: "The work achieved by our students was only possible from the support and innovative teaching environment which our Head of Department, Mr McFarland has established, together with the full backing of Senior Management at Limavady High School.
“The project has absorbed much of my life in recent months and it would not have been possible without the excellent students moulded through Limavady High School."
My Young was put forward for the award by Vice Principal, Mr Dougie Bartlett.
Mr Bartlett championed Mr Young as they worked for four months preparing a very impressive presentation of all work done in GCSE Graphic Products and their new A-Level course.
Students' work at both levels has been recognised as the 'best in the United Kingdom' and Mr Bartlett said he is very keen to elevate this work to a global stage.
He said: "When I saw the criteria for the competition, I immediately thought of David. The energy and enthusiasm he brings to his teaching is clear for anyone to see. In terms of technology, the practises they were looking to champion through this competition are completely engrained in David. I knew he would be in with a fantastic chance and I'm delighted the judges have seen what a worthy recipient he is."
Indeed, the submitted project 'Equipping and empowering students for further education and the real world' was described as a "worthy winner" of the competition, the standard of which was very high.
One of the main judges, Dr. Victor McNair from the University of Ulster and nine times Innovative Teacher Judge, said this award is about Limavady High School as a whole. He said: "The project shows lots of evidence of "Real World" situations through the structures. There are clear links between the work in classroom and people from industry, the community and elsewhere. This is a particularly strong feature of the submission."

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